Refrigeration device having an ice-cube maker

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator having an ice-cube maker is provided. The refrigerator includes a collection container to collect the pieces of ice produced by the ice-cube maker. The collection container has a panel and is removable from the refrigerator. The refrigerator further includes an ice-cube production apparatus associated with the collection container and a cover which blocks access, at a front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus. The cover is rearwardly offset in relation to the panel of the collection container.

The invention relates to a refrigeration device, particularly a domestic refrigeration device having an ice-cube maker, comprising a collection container for the pieces of ice produced, which collection container can be removed from the refrigeration device and an ice-cube production apparatus which is associated with the collection container.

EP 1 798 500 A2 discloses an ice-cube maker of a refrigeration device for domestic use. The ice-cube maker therein has a collection container for the pieces of ice produced. The collection container is configured essentially cuboid, having a base, two side walls and a front end wall and a rear end wall. The free edges of the side walls and of the end walls opposing the base delimit a rectangular collection aperture through which the pieces of ice can fall out of an ice-cube production apparatus into the collection container. The ice-cube production apparatus is arranged essentially over the collection container and above the plane of the collection aperture. The ice-cube production apparatus extends essentially along the free edge of the rear end wall and extends partially from the rear end wall forwardly toward the collection aperture and from the rear end wall rearwardly.

KR 2003-0087852 A discloses a known ice-cube maker having a front panel constructed in one piece and extending on the front side of the ice-cube maker both over the front end side of the collection container and in the plane of the front end side of the collection container, i.e. at a distinct distance from the ice-cube production apparatus.

It is an object of the invention to provide a refrigeration device having extended utilization possibilities.

This object is achieved with a refrigeration device having the features of claim 1.

In that a cover which blocks access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus is arranged rearwardly offset relative to a panel of the collection container, an unused aggregate space in the refrigeration device is made accessible to a user, so that the aggregate space becomes a useful space. The usable cooling space is thereby increased without restricting the functional capability of the refrigeration device. Due to the rearwardly offset arrangement of the cover of the ice-cube production apparatus, the collection container or the panel of the collection container is more distinctly delimited from the surroundings, from the cover of the ice-cube production apparatus and from the inner container of the refrigeration device, such that a visually improved appearance is achieved and access to the collection container is improved. An observer is better able to see the collection container and can access the collection container more intuitively, for example, in order to open said container to remove pieces of ice and to remove said container completely from the refrigeration device, for example, for cleaning purposes.

A compact design of the ice-cube maker increases the useful volume in the interior of the refrigeration device. Due to the rearwardly offset arrangement of the cover which blocks access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus relative to the panel of the collection container, additional useful space is provided. Additional useful space of this type is not provided or is not usable in prior art refrigeration devices, since a cover arranged in the usual manner right at the front blocks the free space which is per se present behind the cover and therefore leaves it unused. Furthermore, due to the rearwardly offset arrangement of the cover according to the invention, a favorable visual appearance is achieved. This is based therein that the collection container or the panel in front of the collection container stands out from the housing of the refrigeration device particularly clearly visually due to the rearwardly offset cover.

Coordination of the ice-cube production apparatus with the collection container is achieved by the spatial arrangement of the ice-cube production apparatus in the region of the rearward end side of the collection container in a plane lying above the collection container. The ice-cube production apparatus extends essentially along a free edge of the rear end wall of the collection container and extends partially forwardly from the rear end wall to a collection aperture and from the rear end wall rearwardly and partially downwardly.

In the context of the invention, the front side should be understood to mean a spatial position facing toward the refrigeration device door. The rear side should be understood to mean a spatial position facing away from the front side, specifically a position facing away from the refrigeration device door, i.e. a side facing toward the rear wall of the refrigeration device. The rear wall of the refrigeration device is usually associated with a condenser device of the coolant circuit.

That the cover is arranged rearwardly offset relative to a panel of the collection container should be understood to mean that the cover can be offset rearwardly out of the plane of a flat panel of the collection container, particularly offset rearwardly into a parallel plane.

The ice-cube production apparatus can optionally produce whole ice-cubes or smaller pieces of ice. Ice-cubes should also be understood to mean ice pieces having a form deviating from a cubic form, such as a spherical, hemispherical, disk-shaped or half disk-shaped form.

Due to the rearwardly offset cover and the support surface arranged in front of the cover and lying over the collection container, a freely accessible storage space can be created for products to be refrigerated. It has been found that a rearward offset of the cover is possible since the pieces of ice made by the ice-cube production apparatus only fall into the collection container in a very narrow rearward region of the collection aperture and the overwhelming majority of the collection aperture, particularly the forward part of the collection aperture of the collection container, is not required at all during operation for the pieces of ice to fall into. In order that the ice-cubes do not lie in the collection container with the collection aperture open, the section of the collection aperture made freely accessible is covered by a support surface. The support surface can be formed by an upper wall of a drawer receptacle housing for the drawer-like collection container. Alternatively, the support surface can be formed by a simple flat top cover which can be placed, for example, on the collection container. Despite the rearwardly offset arrangement of the cover in relation to the panel of the collection container, the cover can be configured integrally with the panel. The integral configuration can also comprise the support surface. The cover can therefore be formed together with the panel and the support surface or from a doubly right-angled plate. This molded plate can be formed, for example, from a plastics component with two L-shaped right-angled molded parts which are designed stair-shaped.

The cover can, however, also be configured separately from the panel and the support surface. To this end, between the support surface and an upper container wall of the refrigeration device, a channel can be delimited, via which the cover of the ice-cube production apparatus is to be removed and inserted. The collection container or the drawer receptacle-like housing for the drawer-like collection container is arranged at a distance from the inner container of the refrigeration device such that a freely accessible channel is formed, via which the cover can be removed and inserted. Removal of the cover may be required, for example, for cleaning of the ice-cube production apparatus or for servicing or maintenance of the ice-cube production apparatus. The ice-cube production apparatus is only accessible by hand once the cover has been removed. With the cover in place, the presence of which should be ensured during operation of the refrigeration device, access to the ice-cube production apparatus by the hand of a user is reliably prevented. Rather than being completely removable and re-insertable, the cover can also be opened and closed, for example, by a door-like pivotable mounting of the cover in the channel between the support surface and the upper container wall of the refrigeration device.

The support surface can optionally be connected to the collection container for joint removal therewith. For this purpose, the support surface can be configured together with the cover and the panel, as an integral component. This means that the support surface is at least connected to the panel and is therefore removed together with the collection container on removal of the panel. Alternatively, the support surface can be provided directly on the collection container. For this purpose, the support surface can be mounted firmly on the collection container or can be, for example, pivotably mounted thereon. The support, surface therefore forms a top cover for the collection aperture of the collection container.

Alternatively, the support surface can be firmly installed in the refrigeration device and the collection container can be removed from and inserted into the refrigeration device separately from the support surface. Thus the support surface can be configured together with the cover as an integral component, without including the panel of the collection container. Such an integral component of the support surface and the cover can be assembled or mounted at the inner container of the refrigeration device. However, the support surface can also be part of a drawer receptacle-like housing for a drawer-like collection container. In this case, the support surface can be formed by an upper wall of the drawer receptacle-like housing or the support surface can be placed on the upper side of the upper wall.

In all the configurations, the support surface can be formed by a heat-insulating wall section. This heat-insulating wall section can comprise, for example, a layer made from foamed polystyrene, polyurethane or a vacuum insulation panel. Said heat-insulating wall section can be formed in simple manner merely from two walls spaced apart and enclosing one or more hollow chambers. The design of the support surface as a heat-insulating wall section prevents warm air, which penetrates into the interior of the refrigeration device after opening of the door, from entering the collection container and possibly melting the stored pieces of ice there.

Alternatively, in all the embodiments, the support surface can be made from a heat-conducting, particularly metal, wall section. Through the configuration of the support surface as a heat-conducting wall section, the cold can be conducted out of the collection container at the upper side of the support surface, so that particularly good cooling of goods placed on the support surface of the storage space provided according to the invention is ensured.

In general, the cover blocking access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus can be configured as a cover component separate from the panel of the collection container.

In the configuration as a separate cover component, the cover component can be held on holding flaps of two opposing side walls of a drawer receptacle-like housing of the collection container.

The separate cover component can be fastened or mounted, for example, at two opposing holding flaps. The holding flaps can be fastened at two opposing sides of a drawer receptacle-like housing for a drawer-like collection container. The holding flaps extend beyond the upper side of the drawer receptacle-like housing. The holding flaps carry fastening means for fixing the cover. The fastening means can be, for example, locking elements on the holding flaps, said locking elements, in cooperation with complementary locking elements at the cover, ensuring fastening and mounting of the cover. In place of a rigid fastening, the cover can also be mounted movably, particularly pivotably, on the holding flaps.

The cover can also be held at internal walls of the refrigeration device, particularly at walls of the inner container. In the event of such fastening or mounting of the cover component, said cover component can be held, in the same way as with the holding flaps of a drawer receptacle-like housing, at inner walls of the refrigeration device, particularly at walls of the inner container. This is particularly suitable if the collection container is guided not in a drawer receptacle-like housing, but in simple rails in the refrigeration device.

In the other configuration as a separate cover component, the cover can be held at the collection container and can be configured to be removed and inserted therewith. Thus the side walls of the collection container can extend further upwardly in the manner of holding flaps and the cover can be fastened or mounted, as described, at these holding flaps of the collection container.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described making reference to an ice-cube maker in a refrigeration device for domestic use, as illustrated by way of example in the drawings. The detailed description of the exemplary embodiment also discloses further general features and advantages of the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigeration device for domestic use having an ice-cube maker;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective partial view of the refrigeration device for domestic use as per FIG. 1, having an ice-cube maker according to the invention and a cover which is rearwardly offset and blocks access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus;

FIG. 3 shows a section through the perspective partial view of the refrigeration device as per FIG. 2, having the ice-cube maker according to the invention and the cover which is rearwardly offset and blocks access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the ice-cube maker as per FIG. 3 in isolation;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the ice-cube maker as per FIGS. 2 and 3.

A refrigeration device 1 as per FIG. 1 comprises a thermally insulating housing casing 2 which is divided by means of a separating wall 3 into a cooling chamber 4, shown at right in the drawing, and a freezing chamber 5, shown at left in the drawing. The cooling chamber 4 is closable by a first door 6 and the freezing chamber 5 is closable by a second door 7. The second door 7 of the freezing chamber 5 has a dispenser unit 8, optionally for whole ice-cubes or for fragmented pieces of ice or ice snow. The ice-cubes are produced in an ice-cube maker 9 arranged at top in the interior of the freezing chamber 5 and ejects ready-made ice-cubes at an underside of the ice-cube maker 9. The ice-cubes fall from above out of an ice-cube production apparatus 14 into a collection container 10 for intermediate storage. At a lower aperture 11 of the collection container 10 positioned forwardly, the ice cubes can be conveyed out of the collection container 10 when needed and fall outwardly at the front of the second door 7, via a dispensing chute 12 provided at the inside of said second door 7. Particularly for cleaning purposes, the collection container 10 can be removed from the refrigeration device 1, from a receptacle housing 13 of the freezing chamber 5. A panel 15 is allocated to the collection container 10 at the front side. A cover 16 is allocated to the ice-cube production apparatus 14.

FIG. 2 shows the panel 15 and the cover 16 in a perspective partial view of the refrigeration device 1 for domestic use as per FIG. 1, with an ice-cube maker 9 according to the invention and a cover 16 arranged rearwardly offset and blocking access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus 14 (FIG. 3). The complete ice-cube maker 9 is arranged between an outer wall 17 of the housing casing 2 and the separating wall 3 at an upper position in the refrigeration device 1. The collection container 10 is covered on the front side by the panel 15. Said panel 15 is configured as a planar plate with a rectangular form. The cover 16 is shown, partially covered, offset inwardly from the plane of the panel 15, that is, into the plane of the drawing. The cover 16 is provided with narrow aperture slits 18. Due to the rearwardly offset arrangement of the cover 16, as shown, a storage space 19 is created and a support surface 20 is provided on which products to be refrigerated can be placed freely accessible. The support surface 20 is formed by a top cover surface of the receptacle housing 13. Delimited by an upper container wall 21 of the housing casing 2, between the outer wall 17 and the separating wall 3 and the support surface 20 is a channel 22 via which the cover 16 can be removed by hand from the rearwardly offset position thereof. With the cover 16 removed, the ice-cube production apparatus 14 is accessible from outside via the channel 22.

FIG. 3 clearly shows the position of the ice-cube production apparatus 14 behind the cover 16. A section through the perspective partial view of the refrigeration device 1 as per FIG. 2 is shown with the ice-cube maker 9 according to the invention and the cover 16 arranged rearwardly offset and blocking access, at the front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus 14. The ice-cube maker 9 comprises the collection container 10 for ready-made pieces of ice. The collection container 10 is essentially cuboid in form with a base 10 a, two side walls 10 b and 10 c, and a front end wall 10 d and a rear end wall 10 e. The free edges of the side walls 10 b, 10 c and the end walls 10 d, 10 e delimit in frame-like manner a rectangular collection aperture 23 via which the pieces of ice from the ice-cube production apparatus 14 can fall into the collection container 10. The ice-cube production apparatus 14 is arranged essentially over the collection container 10 and above the plane of the collection aperture 23. The ice-cube production apparatus 14 extends essentially along the free edge of the rear end wall 10 e and extends forwardly partially from the rear end wall 10 e toward the collection aperture 23 and rearwardly from the rear end wall 10 e. The ice-cubes fall into a region between the front side of the ice-cube production apparatus 14 and the rear side of the cover 16, via the collection aperture 23 into the collection container 10. The collection container 10 bears the panel 15 at the front. The drawer-like collection container 10 is guided in a drawer receptacle-like housing 13. FIG. 3 shows the cover 16 more clearly with the two narrow aperture slits 18.

FIG. 4 shows the ice-cube maker 9 as per FIG. 3 in isolation. The ice-cube maker 9 has the drawer-like receptacle housing 13. The receptacle housing 13 has a cuboid form and has a front aperture 24 which projects forwardly out of the drawing plane, and has a rectangular cross-section. Via the front aperture 24, the collection container 10 is pushed drawer-like into the receptacle housing 13. The front end wall 10 d of the collection container 10 bears the panel 15. The receptacle housing 13 has at each of the two side walls 13 b, 13 c thereof a fastening point 25 at which the receptacle housing 13 is to be fastened to the outer wall 17 and the separating wall 3 of the housing casing 2 (FIG. 2). The fastening points 25 are configured as dome-like projecting internally-threaded bushings which, as shown, can be made integrally with the receptacle housing 13 from injection molded plastics. Fastened to the receptacle housing 13 at each of the side walls 13 b, 13 c is a holding flap 26 a, 26 b. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the holding flaps 26 a, 26 b are integrally molded directly onto the receptacle housing 13 from plastics. The holding flaps 26 a, 26 b extend fin-like upwardly beyond the support surface 20. The holding flaps 26 a, 26 b are configured as thin wall sections of the receptacle housing 13, extending vertically upwardly in the plane of the side walls 13 b, 13 c in a wedge-like shape and forming a point at their upper end. At the end section of each holding flap 26 a, 26 b, in the region of the points of the wedge-like narrowing ends of the holding flaps 26 a, 26 b, a locking element 27 a, 27 b is provided on each. The cover 16 comprises the complementary locking elements 28. Said complementary locking elements 28 are arranged at the opposing edges of the cover 16. The complementary locking elements 28 engage in the corresponding locking elements 27 a, 27 b and thereby hold the cover 16 in position on the receptacle housing 13 before the ice-cube production apparatus 14 and rearwardly offset relative to the panel 15, i.e. displaced rearwardly into the drawing plane. The locking elements 27 a, 27 b and the complementary locking elements 28 form a fastening means on the holding flaps 26 a, 26 b, which ensure fastening and mounting of the cover 16 in a position rearwardly offset relative to the panel 15.

FIG. 5 shows the respective positions of the cover 16 and the panel 15 again in a sectional representation of the ice-cube maker as per FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in the installed condition. The ice-cube production apparatus 14 is overwhelmingly placed behind, that is in FIG. 5, to the left of the rear end wall 10 e of the collection container 10. At the same time, the ice-cube production apparatus 14 is overwhelmingly placed above the plane of the collection aperture 23 of the collection container 10. A spout 29 can also be formed on the collection container 10, expanding the collection aperture 23 under the ice-cube production apparatus 14. The overwhelmingly front part, shown at the right-hand side in FIG. 5, of the collection aperture 23 of the collection container 10 is covered by the support surface 20. Said support surface 20 can be configured as a hollow chamber. The channel 22 is formed between the support surface 20 and the upper container wall 21 of the housing casing 2. The cover 16 is arranged rearwardly and inwardly offset from the plane of the panel 15, that is, from the right-hand side of the cover 15 in FIG. 5, in a central part of FIG. 5. The cover 16 is, for example, releasably fastened to the respective holding flaps 26 a, 26 b. The aperture slits 18 are formed by gill-like deep-drawn wall sections of the cover 16. The aperture slits 18 can be made by stamping out a sheet metal part or by molding in the process of injection molding a plastics part. The aperture slits 18 enable air circulation between the ice-cube production apparatus 14 and the storage space 19. A chopping device 30 and a lower aperture 11 for ejection of whole ice-cubes or chopped pieces of ice can be arranged between the panel 15 and the collection container 10. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A refrigerator having an ice-cube maker, the refrigerator comprising: a collection container to collect the pieces of ice produced by the ice-cube maker, the collection container being removable from the refrigerator and the collection container having a panel; an ice-cube production apparatus associated with the collection container; and a cover which blocks access, at a front side, to the ice-cube production apparatus, the cover arranged rearwardly offset in relation to the panel of the collection container.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the refrigerator is a domestic refrigerator.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 11, further comprising a support surface arranged in front of the cover and over the collection container, wherein, due to the rearwardly offset cover and the support surface, a freely accessible storage space is delimited for products to be refrigerated.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 13, further comprising an upper container wall, wherein, between the support surface and the upper container wall of the refrigerator, a channel is delimited via which the cover of the ice-cube production apparatus is removed and inserted.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the support surface is connected to the collection container for joint removal of the support surface and the collection container from the refrigerator.
 16. The refrigeration of claim 13, wherein the support surface is firmly installed in the refrigerator, and wherein the collection container is removed from and inserted into the refrigerator separately from the support surface.
 17. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the support surface is formed by a heat-insulating wall section.
 18. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the support surface is made from a heat-conducting wall section.
 19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the heat-conducting wall section is a metal wall section.
 20. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the cover is configured as a cover component separate from the panel of the collection container.
 21. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein the collection container has a drawer receptacle-like housing, and wherein the cover component is held on holding flaps of two opposing side walls of a drawer receptacle-like housing.
 22. The refrigerator of claim 20, wherein the cover is held at the collection container and removed and inserted with the collection container. 